Hi and a few questions!

hi, me and a friend are going to be Biking across the country this summer. We plan on using hammocks and gorilla camping where ever couch surfing or our network of friends wears thin. and of course hammocks are the best way to Gorilla camp, as all you need is 2 trees. I was poking around YouTube and found Shug's videos, and through them this site.
I think we'll be using buyer's mosquito netting hammocks, and some kind of tarp, I've no Idea whats good as far as tarps goes, so I'd be very happy with a few tips in the tarp department!
~Owwl

Owwl:
There are several Tarp makers on the forum. OES, Warbonnet, Jacks R Better, Backwoods Day Dreamer(not taking orders right now in the process of moving).....just to name a few (Sorry if I left anyone out and I know I did!!!!!!!). You will get all kinds of recommendations and I can tell you to continue watching Shug's videos, especially the 10 part Newb Videos (all very informative and PG rated). Good luck in your search and welcome to HF.

there are really as many tarp options as you can imagine! I'm always in favor of make your own, but it all depends on what you want and what you can spend on it.

Any guidelines to help people give you tips on what to check out?

Good luck on your trip planning.

I don't know about gorilla camping but if you're guerrilla camping ;) I'd go with the Claytor Diamond Fly. It's $50 (including shipping), a good size for summer use, and camo :cool:. It is heavy when compared to sil-nylon.

The Diamond fly looks very good actually, I'd like to know cheaper options first though.
as we will be biking smaller + lighter is better, I guess it always is.
Are there any DIY guides to making something like that?
And for that matter would buying some kind of tarp material and making my own actually be cheaper?
Thanks for the help,
~Owwl

Here's a link to a thread about a light, small, and cheap tarp. Not much coverage but 3 out of 4 isn't bad. :)

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...r+curtain+tarp

Note: I have since cut off the corners and sewn on grosgrain tie outs.

Edit: Did I mention DIY? (that's 4 outta 5 if you're keeping score)

I think a little bigger would be better, as I'm sure I'll be sleeping in it in REAL rain, pouring cats, dogs and tax auditors.
but its possible I could find a BIG shower curtain....

and then I scroll down and see the idea of stitching 2 together... which would work.
but thats $40, might as well buy one...
What about cheep blue tarps?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owwl

...as we will be biking smaller + lighter is better...
~Owwl

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Lighter tends to be more expensive :eek:.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Owwl

What about cheep blue tarps?

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Not very stealthy.

If you want lighter you'll want to look at sil-nylon or cuben fiber tarps but, they are more expensive.

For stealth the PU-coated-nylon are probably the best because, any color can be coated including camo :cool:. They should be cheaper but heavier than a similar sized sil-nylon or cuben fiber tarp.

Cheap blue tarps are cheap, blue, heavy and noisy, but work fine.

Of course theres bound to be cheap green tarps someplace....